Thrilled by Madness - Chapter 36
She had barely stopped crying, but her face was a mess.
Pressing the back of her hand against her tear-stained eyes, So Yeon asked Seo Jun.
“The day we first met. It was less than a day. But you say you liked me at first sight?”
“…”
What should I answer if she asks again…
Seo Jun calmly took a few sips of whiskey without responding. However, his mind was becoming increasingly complex and twisted.
When you give, you should receive something in return. If I showed you my heart, shouldn’t you do the same? But instead of the angelic smile I hoped for, you showed me tears. Your crying face is so pretty. It makes me want to make you cry again.
But why did you cry so sorrowfully? Why, what made you so sad?
Was it because of my confession?
Or perhaps… did you think of that man?
No way, do you still miss that bastard who abandoned you so much?
At the end of his thoughts, Seo Jun smirked.
“Then, what do you think of me, Eom So Yeon?”
His voice, which had calmed the spark of anger, was as quiet as this night.
“Tae Seo Jun, of course he’s desirable. Because he’s a handsome and attractive man. So I just followed my heart’s pull. That’s all there is to it for me.”
So Yeon answered in a clear, articulate voice, looking down.
“Pulled? That’s all it is for you?”
“Yes.”
So Yeon’s attitude was resolute as she nodded her head.
She couldn’t say that she was the one who had loved a man she met for the first time, and couldn’t let go of him even after years had passed, leading her to this point. She couldn’t ruin this precious time with him by being swept up in an atmosphere where it seemed like she could say anything.
“Then I’ll tell you too. I liked you. I still do.”
“…!”
So Yeon’s gaze quickly rose, naturally feeling her heart flutter. However, Seo Jun’s subsequent words made her gaze wander aimlessly.
“But how long can human emotions last? Even feelings that seem like they’ll never cool down eventually grow cold. If there’s something suspicious in between, male-female relationships cool off even faster.”
Up until now, he was talking about how it was before meeting Eom So Yeon.
Therefore, there was more to the story, but before continuing, Seo Jun listened to So Yeon’s voice, which seemed quite flustered,
“You’re very cynical about human emotions. But not everyone is like that…”
Even if you desperately wish it would cool, there’s definitely love that grows hotter as time passes…
Even if you just keep it in your heart, it’s so overwhelmingly good that even longing can’t help but be love…
That’s me…
“Maybe it’s because you haven’t met someone you truly love yet. Real love makes you want to understand rather than doubt. You want to know them more deeply. Someday, you’ll meet that kind of love, that kind of person too, Director.”
“Ha…”
Seo Jun stared at So Yeon’s face and sighed.
I’m burning up because I can’t do anything about you alone. While you’re desperately trying to stop yourself from falling for me. And yet you dare to talk to me about someone else, about true love?
“Alright. Since we’re on the topic, shall we be a bit more honest?”
“Honest?”
“I mean, I who am skeptical about male-female relationships, you who are not. It’s the first time I’ve felt these emotions, the first woman I’ve clung to this much. But you seem close one moment, then far away the next. I wonder why. It’s like you’re trying to hide something.”
“…!”
So Yeon gasped in shock. Her heart that had been fine suddenly shrank, and her mouth went dry. She even jumped up from her chair, caught off guard and hit right on the mark.
“I-I’m not hiding anything! There’s no way I could be!”
It’s even stranger to react so excessively, even stuttering, to something that could have been passed over.
It was the moment So Yeon took a couple of steps away from Seo Jun.
“Ah, oh!”
So Yeon’s body fell onto Seo Jun’s thigh as if hitting her bottom, pulled by an tremendous force on her wrist. But she couldn’t get up again. It was because her waist was tightly held by Seo Jun’s firm arm and large hand.
“You keep acting like this, so isn’t it suspicious? It seems you really are hiding something, what is it?”
“…”
Her eyelids, moving left and right, were red. Her pupils shimmered transparently, filled with tears. But her lips were tightly closed, exercising her right to remain silent.
But as if she was holding her breath too, her small lips parted for a moment.
“No, there’s nothing like that!”
So Yeon, catching her breath, spoke forcefully again.
“It’s not like that, is it, Tae Seo Jun? You’re not just any ordinary man. I wanted to look good. That’s why I was just being careful. Where else can you find a man as great and perfect as you, Director? You know that better than anyone!”
“Really?”
“Of course!”
“Ha, Eom So Yeon… you, really…”
Is there any use in insisting?
A great man. It was something he’d heard often and felt little about. But the praise coming from Eom So Yeon’s mouth felt different from the start, Seo Jun felt strange. The soft voice that penetrated his ears seemed to spread quickly like a deadly poison, making his whole body feel languid.
Smirking, Seo Jun took a sip of the cold, tangy whiskey and rolled it on his tongue. As the liquid stimulated the inside of his throat, his slightly frowning, seductive eyes exuded intense masculine charm.
So Yeon, looking up at his jawline which was a perfect A-cut photo every moment, swallowed hard in relief at having passed a dangerous crisis.
“What?”
“No, just…”
“Want a drink?”
“…”
What should she do when someone who had been angry until now suddenly asks kindly?
So Yeon’s eyes, which had nodded slightly, rolled around before settling on the glass of alcohol sitting neatly on the mini bar.
[This is the timeline separator]Soft classical music flowed through the lounge bar of the El Stella Hotel.
The two men sitting at the long bar, heads close together, were none other than the hotel’s president and vice president.
“About Seo Jun. He’s at the Spanish mansion now.”
“The youngest? Why there?”
“I don’t know. Seems he had a photoshoot there or something. I guess he stopped by while he was at it. He always liked that place, didn’t he? But apparently he didn’t go alone.”
“That bastard, he’s with a woman!”
“From what I heard, that seems to be the case. Given that they’re there alone, they must be in that kind of relationship, right?”
“Where did you hear this from, elder brother?”
“Where else, from Father’s secretariat. It probably reached Father’s ears first.”
“That kid, he should be careful. We can’t stop him from acting anymore, but Father was telling me the other day that we should get him married quickly.”
“Well, when that incident happened in the Middle East, he called the commander’s office and was absolutely furious. He was beside himself, afraid of suddenly losing his youngest son. But it’s not like that child does things as we wish. Seo Jun is on par with Father in their battle of wills.”
“Heh. Among our brothers, Tae Seo Jun is certainly the strongest.”
“By the way, it’s not just Seo Jun that Father is planning for. It’s the same for you and me.”
“Oh? There’s Won Hoo.”
Yi Jun and Yong Jun, who had been talking for a while, turned their gaze to look at the tall man walking in from the bar entrance.
“Am I late?”
“You’re asking even though you know?”
“I’m sorry, elder brothers.”
As Won Hoo sat down at the bar next to his two cousin brothers, a waiter approached politely and placed a glass of whiskey on the table.
“About your company’s idol. They seem to have completely dominated Europe and America. Your aunt was singing about how you’ll soon go bankrupt, but it seems your company is the opposite?”
“The company that started with our parents’ curse now has 100% immunity. El Stella Hotel is no joke either. Thanks to your good management skills, you’re already building the third new hotel.”
“Ah, Italy? That’s being expanded on Chairman Tae Seok Ho’s orders. I have to check on the situation there anyway, so I’m flying out tomorrow.”
“Whoa, whoa, even without your uncle, having the vice president and president appear together might be quite burdensome for the executives there?”
Yi Jun, Yong Jun, and Won Hoo, having gathered after a long time, were drinking and talking more loudly than usual, enjoying themselves.
However, at the table behind them, a woman was sitting quietly with her back to the three men.
No, she seemed to be trying to hide herself as much as possible, her head lowered more than necessary. The dim lighting inside was fortunate for her. It was hiding her presence, not making her efforts of wearing a baseball cap and pulling down her hoodie in vain.
She was listening intently to the voices of the three men.
Today, Yoo Byung Hwan, who had been declared beyond recovery by the hospital, had his oxygen mask removed.
But lo and behold, he was breathing on his own and even opened his eyes wide. Although it was a feeble recovery where that was all he could do, Jung Hwa’s biological father, who had lived a tough life, had an equally tenacious life.
Jung Hwa, who was inwardly pleased, felt uneasy. She also felt miserable about her situation, anxiously waiting for her wicked father to die while having him on the chopping block. For that reason, she had come to this hotel bar to try and calm her unsettled heart.
But what was this situation she was now facing?
Was it God’s blessing, granting her a higher place? Or God’s mockery, making her look back and regret what she had missed unknowingly?
When she first heard the familiar name from behind, she thought, no way.
Is that Tae Seo Jun the one I know? Then, those two men…
Being right behind them, the voices of the two men pierced Jung Hwa’s ears. While she was uncertain, it was Won Hoo’s appearance and their relationship that confirmed the fact that Tae Seo Jun was from a royal family.
Had he ever mentioned having a family, let alone brothers? Of course, not once. Even if Tae Seo Jun hadn’t lied, the fact that he hadn’t breathed a word about it during their relationship was tantamount to deceiving her!
Jung Hwa, who only now learned that Tae Seo Jun and Gu Won Hoo were cousins, couldn’t even blink for a while.
Because she was too shocked by the fact she hadn’t known even in her dreams. Because it was incredibly ridiculous that she hadn’t realized Tae Seo Jun was the youngest son of Tae Seok Ho, one of the wealthiest men in Korea, even when it was right in front of her.
Her hand holding the cocktail glass trembled.
Along with that trembling, the liquid in the glass also swirled.
Overwhelmed by shock, Jung Hwa couldn’t do anything. Except quietly put down the glass in her hand and hurry to escape from this place.
Jung Hwa, who got on the elevator after leaving the bar, couldn’t even press the first floor button and just pounded her chest, which was choked with resentment, with her fist. It was understandable, as she had missed out on an incredible fortune that could have been hers while wide awake.
No wonder! He never seemed to feel inferior anywhere, anytime! His noble dignity was no joke! So that’s what it was! Wasn’t that poise and attitude all coming from the power of immense wealth! Without realizing this, what have I done…!
There were plenty of opportunities to notice during their relationship. If only she had paid a little more attention to him instead of spending time worrying about others.
“Ha! I, I, I was a fool!”
Really, really, I was a fool and an idiot!
Jung Hwa, who resented herself for coveting something else without realizing what she had in her hand was real, couldn’t even manage a hollow laugh. Even in this chaotic moment, she had only one thought.
That it wasn’t too late.
That even if it was late, she would definitely turn back time.
That she must make Tae Seo Jun her man again by any means necessary.
That thought of retrieving her man at all costs, even if she had to sell her soul to the devil.
Ex-husband Wants Reconciliation
One-line summary: Chasing the wife to the crematorium (making an effort to attract someone who has become indifferent), the female lead doesn’t look back, the second male lead takes the position.
Intro:
To repay the kindness of the older generation, Su Mu crossed into a female-dominated world and became a live-in daughter-in-law of the Yan family, single-handedly saving the Yan family from fire and water.
But her husband, Yan Jiyue, the eldest son of the Yan family, treated her with sarcasm and never showed her a good face.
It wasn’t until after Su Mu’s death that this pampered and arrogant young master shed a few fake tears and pretended to want to die for love.
This life’s kindness was enough. If there was a next life, she would definitely kick Yan Jiyue away.
Who knew that the heavens would be so kind as to allow her to be reborn, returning to the time when she had just married into the Yan family.
Su Mu glanced at the Yan eldest son, who still spoke coldly to her, and threw a divorce letter in front of him.
“Let’s divorce!”
***
Yan Jiyue never imagined that he would be reborn. He happily went to find Su Mu, wanting to make up for the mistakes he had made in his ignorant youth.
Wasn’t the reason the heavens allowed him to be reborn to let him reconcile with Su Mu?
But when he pushed open the door to Su Mu’s room, the person lying on the bed was another man.
Su Mu’s personal attendant, Xie Yi.
Yan Jiyue hated him so much that his teeth itched. In front of Su Mu, Xie Yi was a gentle and considerate whisperer of sweet nothings, but in reality, he was vicious-hearted and deliberately sabotaged their husband and wife relationship.
In the previous life, it was he who secretly hid in Su Mu’s coffin and committed suicide, stealing a step ahead of him to be buried with Su Mu.
Yan Jiyue’s eyes were filled with hatred as he cursed, “What kind of thing are you? Your background is lowly, what right do you have to occupy Su Mu?”
Xie Yi looked at the sleeping Su Mu and no longer pretended to be a whisperer of sweet nothings.
He proudly stuck out his belly, “I have the right because my belly is capable of giving the Wife-master a daughter.”
***
Yan Jiyue was consumed with jealousy. He spread rumors that Xie Yi had once been branded with the mark of a “harlot” on his chest.
But on the night Xie Yi cut off the flesh bearing that mark, Su Mu suddenly realized something was amiss.
“How did you know the exact moment I was poisoned? And why did you show up a month early?”
Xie Yi remained silent, blood from his wound soaking through his robes. His sapphire eyes brimmed with anguish – or was it just a flawless act?
Between a once-arrogant husband now seeking redemption, and a gentle soul willing to die for her – who truly held the darkest secrets? And could it be that Su Mu and Yan Jiyue weren’t the only ones given a second chance at life…?
[Reading Guide]
1. True divorce, chasing the wife to the crematorium, the female lead doesn’t look back, the male lead is Xie Yi.
2. The ex-husband did not cheat, he just realized too late and didn’t realize that he liked the female lead.
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